Americans to Bet $4.7 Billion on Super Bowl LI, AGA Finds

The American Gaming Association (AGA) has projected that there will be an 11% increase in dollars wagered on the Super Bowl vs. last year. In total, $4.7 billion is expected to be staked by sports bettors on Super Bowl 51 when the New England Patriots take on the Atlanta Falcons this Sunday in Houston.

Sportsbook Review interviewed the AGA's VP of Public Relations this morning to discuss a recent report by the AGA which projected that 97% of dollars wagered on the big game will be outside Las Vegas with online sportsbooks. According to these figures, just $200 million will be staked on the Las Vegas strip. The video will be shared inside of this article as soon as it is released.

The AGA is closely monitoring New Jersey's court case and push to have the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) repealed to pave the way for a regulated and legal sports betting industry across US states and keeps dollars from flowing overseas. Due to the lack of federal oversight, there is a wild west aspect to dealing with online betting sites which is why Sportsbook Review created the sportsbook blacklist to warn readers about unsavory operators.

Until there is a properly monitored and regulated gaming industry, players are best served with reputable online sportsbooks such as those that have serviced players for years without incident. The best sportsbooks page shows only companies which are able to pay on time and without incident and have scored highly on SBR member polls. SBR Forum has over 400,000 registered members.

The AGA press release contained the following statement from CEO Geoff Freeman: "As we mark the 25th anniversary of a failed law, it’s time for Washington to get out of the way and lift the federal prohibition that pushes sports fans to a rapidly growing illegal betting market,” said Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the AGA. “A regulated marketplace would generate tax revenue and jobs, protect consumers and leverage cutting-edge technology to strengthen the integrity of the games we all love.”

Washington, DC –Americans will bet $4.7 billion on Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons, according to an estimate released today by the American Gaming Association (AGA), marking an 11 percent rise from last year’s Super Bowl. Yet 97 percent of bets – approximately $4.5 billion – will be placed illegally due to a failed federal ban signed into law in 1992.

The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, or PASPA, dictates that Nevada is the only state permitted to offer traditional sports betting, where about $132 million will be wagered through sports books by kickoff. Despite this ban, sports betting has only grown more prevalent. In fact, in 2016 alone, Americans wagered an estimated $154 billion on all sports, nearly all of it through bookies and offshore, illicit web sites.

“As we mark the 25th anniversary of a failed law, it’s time for Washington to get out of the way and lift the federal prohibition that pushes sports fans to a rapidly growing illegal betting market,” said Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the AGA. “A regulated marketplace would generate tax revenue and jobs, protect consumers and leverage cutting-edge technology to strengthen the integrity of the games we all love.”

The ability to protect the integrity of games through rigorous data analysis and complex, real-time algorithms – something not fathomable in 1992 – is only possible in markets where sports wagering is effectively regulated. A 2016 report advocated for a legal, regulated sports betting market that’s transparent and capable of detecting suspicious betting activities. The report concluded that, “[r]ather than setting the standard, the United States is on par with Russia and China, having forced a groundswell of black-market gambling by prohibiting the popular pastime of sports betting.”

Further, the United States Supreme Court is considering hearing a sports betting case that could dramatically alter the country’s sports betting landscape. Earlier this month, the Court asked the U.S. Solicitor General to submit a brief in the New Jersey-led sports betting petition. AGA previously submitted an amicus brief urging the Court to consider the failed, unconstitutional sports betting ban.

In yet another sign of how serious the problem of illegal gambling has become, more than 30 law enforcement leaders from across the country gathered in June for the first-ever Law Enforcement Summit in Washington, D.C. to better understand the massive illegal sports betting market in the U.S and what steps can be taken to address it.

Beyond the beltway, a growing chorus of federalism advocates are voicing their displeasure with the ban. The National Council of State Legislatures and U.S. Conference of Mayors have strongly urged regulation of sports betting. Pennsylvania passed a resolution last year opposing PASPA. New York is working on similar legislation. Several other states filed amicus briefs in New Jersey’s appeal to the Supreme Court, echoing the Garden State’s desire to offer sports betting within their borders. In addition, the NBA and PGA Tour have signaled a willingness to take a fresh approach to sports betting.

In coming up with its illegal gambling estimates on the Super Bowl, the AGA took the most conservative estimate of illegal sports betting activity ($80 billion per year) from the 1999 National Gambling Impact Study Commission's Final Report. It applied GDP growth as reported by the Census Bureau to make this current to today. Finally, the AGA assumed that the proportion of legal gambling activity on the Super Bowl at Nevada sports books is the best available indicator of what proportion it might make up in the illegal market, and applied this ratio to the larger illegal gambling figure.

About AGA: The American Gaming Association is the premier national trade group representing the $240 billion U.S. casino industry, which supports 1.7 million jobs in 40 states. AGA members include commercial and tribal casino operators, suppliers and other entities affiliated with the gaming industry. It is the mission of the AGA to be the single most effective champion of the industry, relentlessly protecting against harmful and often misinformed public policies, and paving a path for growth, innovation and reinvestment.